Where The Jobs Were In 2018

It was kind of a mixed year for job growth, with some clouds and bright spots coming up.

This past year was meh for Canadian employment. Overall about 220,000 net jobs were added. That’s an increase of about 1.2% in a dozen months. Bizarrely almost half of that came in November alone.

Anyway, our labour force grew by 175,000 people in that same period. So really job growth covered that and a bit more. On the plus side, almost all the added positions turned out to be full-time.

Which Sectors Posted The Most Jobs On Monster.ca?
All sorts of employers hunt for staff here. The following sectors placed the most job ads on our site throughout 2018. We’ve listed ‘em in Top 10 form from highest first.

Canadian Industries With The Highest Job Growth
Here’s a look at how selected business sectors fared in 2018.

Utilities. Included here are electricity producers and distributors, hydro stations and providers, etc. They registered 25,000 added jobs, a boost of 19%.

Business, building and other support services. Total uptick here is 61,000 (+8%) positions. Included in this grouping are administrative and clerical jobs, cleaning services to businesses and buildings, as well as employment services. Temping is hopping.

Not all industry groups had happy face emojis. For instance, Canadian manufacturing jobs took another hit. To be fair, we were slammed by a higher Loonie and some (loony) trade tariffs, meaning it cost more for other countries to buy our stuff. Employment in this industry declined by 3%.

Looking Ahead To 2019
Well, folks, it’s been a messy world lately. At the close of 2018, there's considerable tumult. The U.S. in a trade war with China. A new North American free trade pact is pending. Brexit’s in sight.

Bad news if you were a Toronto Stock Exchange investor. It lost about 2,000 points or 12% of its value. Stings. Hopefully, China will find a way to goose demand and not slow much more.

As for oil prices? We’re paying less for a tank of gas than a year ago. $1.03 per litre on average versus $1.19 in December 2017. More loonies in our pockets. Except it could put a dent in Alberta’s economy.

Interest rates aren’t expected to go much higher based on America’s trend. 2018 finished at 1.75% after a couple of up bumps. That’s still very low by historical standards.

No telling exactly how the winds will blow. In any case, keep checking Monster.ca for the latest job postings. You never know when the best roles for you will show up!